MedEdits is donating five copies of Dr. Jessica Freedman's books about the medical interview process. Winners will receive a copy of The Medical School Interview or The Residency Interview.

The Medical School Interview Product Description:

The Medical School Interview is a must read for every medical school applicant. Based on her experience as an admissions officer and as a private advisor with www.MedEdits.com, Dr. Jessica Freedman provides guidance on what to expect on interview day, how to influence what is discussed during your interview and what you can do to ensure a stellar interview performance. She also writes about what goes on "behind the scenes" after your interview and provides a transcript for a sample interview.

The Medical School Interview includes:
*What you must do to prepare
*What the interviewer is trying to assess
*How to influence the course of your interview
*The different types of interviewers and how this impacts your experience *How you are evaluated
*What happens at the admission committee meeting after you leave
*A sample interview with questions and answers

The Residency Interview Product Description:

THE RESIDENCY INTERVIEW. These words make every applicant nervous. This MedEdits guide provides applicants with insight about the residency interview process as well as a general framework to dramatically improve their confidence on interview day. This book is based on Dr. Jessica Freedman's experience in residency admissions while on faculty at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and her observations while privately advising residency applicants with MedEdits (www.MedEdits.com).

Get practical advice on:

1) How to prepare for your interview
2) What to expect on interview day
3) The different types of interviewers
4) What information you must convey during your interview
5) How to structure your answers and direct your interview
6) What to wear, how to behave on tours, lunches, "night be- fore" gatherings and many other topics

I was unable to find this on the link--Does The Residency Interview discuss Match information and strategies, especially related to dates of scheduling interviews? Or is it more narrowly focused on the actual interview itself rather than the process?

@WuMedic: The links are fixed. The book does provide information about strategy including when in the season to interview.
@marble30: The book does offer some advice for IMGs.
@abmd: The residency book offers general, rather than specialty specific, advice.

This sounds like a very valuable book for interview prep, but I am wondering if it incorporates the perspectives of other medical school interviewers/admissions officers or is it primarily focused on Dr. Freedman's own experiences?

This sounds like a very valuable book for interview prep, but I am wondering if it incorporates the perspectives of other medical school interviewers/admissions officers or is it primarily focused on Dr. Freedman's own experiences?

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The book is based on Dr. Freedman's own experiences, observations, and insights about the interview process. She writes about the different approaches that interviewers have which allows applicants to be prepared on interview day. She has received feedback from many clients that their actual interviewers mirrored the types described in the book.

I will be submitting my AMCAS come summer and would like to spend some time in preparing for interviews so that once an invitation arrives, I will be well-prepared and not cram. I definitely would love to hear professional perspectives from someone with credible, first-hand experiences.

It seems like it would be a great resource! The prehealth advisor at my school spent a long time during a group presentation telling us that applicants from my school weren't up to par compared to those at other institutions. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick up a few tips.

@Aspen D: The book does not have student input. However, Dr. Freedman's extensive work with applicants helps her identify students' common (mis)perceptions.

@Neuro or Derm: The book does not have information about how to improve your overall candidacy; it focuses on helping you to best position yourself during the interview portion of the admissions process.

@skabani: You have posted here and are therefore automatically entered in the raffle.

In my opinion, the interview is the most stressful part of the admissions process. I'm perfectly able to communicate with others in everyday life, but whenever I walk into an interview, I just freeze up and it takes me a while to get comfortable again. I've only had job interviews so far, but when I interview for medical school, it will be even more stressful and nerve-wracking. This book, combined with the Interview Feedback on SDN, will be really useful in helping me calm down because I'll be more prepared.

As a 3rd year medical student who will soon be hitting the interview (and audition rotation) trail, I think the Residency Interview product would be a great tool for me next year!

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I agree, though books like this for applying to medical school seem to be relatively common, books geared towards the residency interview process seem much more scarce - this seems like it'd be an excellent book to add to my bookshelf.

How does your product differ from others' (e.g., Kaplan's and TPR's books on applying and interviewing)?

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@apumic: Our book focuses solely on the interview process and covers it in depth. We haven't read the Kaplan or Princeton Review books so cannot comment specifically on how Dr. Freedman's book differs.

@WuMedic: The links are fixed. The book does provide information about strategy including when in the season to interview.
@marble30: The book does offer some advice for IMGs.
@abmd: The residency book offers general, rather than specialty specific, advice.

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Sounds pretty important. I'm pretty down to earth, like to blend in with the crowd, and hope this will help me 'separate' myself or 'stick out' in a positive way as I get ready for My Residency.

In my opinion, the interview is the most stressful part of the admissions process. I'm perfectly able to communicate with others in everyday life, but whenever I walk into an interview, I just freeze up and it takes me a while to get comfortable again. I've only had job interviews so far, but when I interview for medical school, it will be even more stressful and nerve-wracking. This book, combined with the Interview Feedback on SDN, will be really useful in helping me calm down because I'll be more prepared.

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Interview is by far most stressful part of admissions. I think practice makes perfect, and any other help/input would be greatly appreciated!